Hello, World Wide Web! As this is my first (of many upcoming) blog post, I should probably give a brief introduction. I am a high school student learning about the history of China. Throughout the semester, I’ll be keeping up with what’s happening in China using a variety of sources to get different points of view. Okay, first blog post. Here goes:

Like Japan, China is often stereotyped as being a studious nation. Chinese people are often portrayed hiding behind books or glued to computer screens, but is it just a conjecture or is it true? According to this ChinaSMACK article, students were seen waiting in line to enter the library.

The first person in line probably lined up at 5:30 [am], while the library opens at 7:30.

Even though it was the middle of winter, the article reveals hundreds of people persevering the cold to get into the library. This shows how dedicated Chinese students are to their education. They’ve come a long way from the Cultural Revolution. Then, universities were closed so students could become soldiers for Mao Zedong. The unfortunate after-math, however, was how educationally behind these students became. Today, they’re making up for it by studying hard.

Is this studying forced? Another article I read from China SMACK talks about how parents beat their children. From bad grades to being late for curfew, these children share how their parents beat them with different objects. While the most common weapon being a feather duster, some parents got creative and “disciplined” their children with fly swatters and toilet brushes.

Not having children, I wouldn’t be able to understand why parents would even considering beating their kids. I don’t think it’s a fair type of punishment, though. Parents are supposed to love their children and protect them from harm; not create it. I think the children who are getting beaten up probably don’t feel safe at home and aren’t comfortable being open with their parents. I would be terrified if my parents beat me. But hey, maybe that’s just a western thing.